Contents

Hal Jordan falls from an open crack in outer space to the atmosphere of a planet, where he awakens from the blow he took at the hands of the Anti-Monitor just in time to survive a crash into the street of a city. The city has humans in it, but the people appear to be from Victorian England of the late 19th Century. A woman on a soapbox is imploring people to not work for Duke Nigel Fortenberry. Hal turns to see large, steam-driven robots coming down the street to interrupt the woman. The three robots each have a primitive television screen on their fronts showing a black-and-white picture of a bearded, bespectled man who begins to disperse the crowd and argue philosophical points with the woman. Before Hal Jordan can act, a steam-powered man with a rocket pack and a green energy cannon swoops in from above to knock out the robots.

The robots recover, attacking the steam man and Lady Katherine. Hal comes to both their rescue this time, and follows them into the thick clouds above the city to a waiting blimp-craft or dirigible. The woman introduces herself and Gil Broom, Esquire. Gil tells Hal about a previous Green Lantern who saved their planet in the past, one with "a red shirt and a cape". Gil calls himself the Steam Lantern. Lady Katherine shows Hal Jordan the "hard-to-findium" mineral that powers Gil's suit. She also tells Hal about Duke Nigel, a brilliant scientist who noticed all the stars in the night sky disappearing one by one, and took over the planet, industrializing it. Gil and Kat fight a rebellion from Batten-mathida, their dirigible.

The most recent affront by Duke Nigel was his "space dragoon", a large creature calling itself the Anti-Monitor. Hal Jordan recognizes it, and tells the two he was just fighting the Anti-Monitor. Kat protests, saying Gil defeated the creature, sending it back so hard it ripped a crack in the sky. Gil hastily agrees. Hal needs to contact the other universe, and Kat tells him the only place to do that from is Duke Nigel's laboratory.

Stealing into Duke Nigel's lab, Hal and Gil discover a telescope studying the nearby Sun. Kat activates Nigel's transdimensional appartus, and Hal uses his power ring to contact Kilowog, Tomar-Re, and Aya on board the Interceptor. Summarizing the crack in the sky and the previous Green Lantern, Hal tells them to be ready on their side of the crack over Biot in twelve hours. Duke Nigel's robots then attack Green Lantern, Steam Lantern, and Lady Katherine. Hal recovers, leaving Duke Nigel blustering as the three escape.

While Kat moves the blimp-craft higher to their crack in the sky, Gil confesses his failure as a hero to Hal Jordan. Duke Nigel's technology was the one who saved the people of the planet when the Anti-Monitor came, Steam Lantern was just in the right place at the right time to take the glory from the inventor. Duke Nigel had made a deal with the Anti-Monitor to spare the planet by sending the huge robot to another universe. Gil's attack on the Anti-Monitor was ineffective, but everyone thought he had sent away the creature. Hal reassures Gil that being a hero is more than just fighting.

The two ships - the Interceptor on one side, and the Batten-mathida on the other side - both approach the same crack in the sky. Hal leaves Gil and Kat to open the rift on his side, but is joined by Gil, using his energy cannon to help. On the other side, Kilowog uses his power ring to match Hal's attempt. However, Duke Nigel chooses this time to attack Kat's dirgible in an armed ornithropter, and when Gil leaves Hal to oppose Nigel, the inventor opens fire on the lighter-than-air craft. The Batten-mathida loses altitude, and Hal leaves opening the rift to save the blimp-craft before it crashes into the city below. Duke Nigel captures the three, taking them to his laboratory.

Duke Nigel forces Gil to confess to his deception of being the hero that saved the people of the planet, broadcasting his admission to the city. The populace is unfazed, cheering Gil the Steam Lantern. Duke Nigel is outraged, but Hal tells him the people below in the city are fighting him for a reason. Duke Nigel protests, claiming his inventions help the population, but the television tubes show him the truth. The inventor releases the three others, regretting his actions.

The sun outside dims and fades, and Duke Nigel tells Hal Jordan, Gil, and Kat that the Anti-Monitor drained most of the sun's energy before it departed. Duke Nigel has not saved the world, just delayed its' death by a lack of sunlight and heat. The native people stoically accept their fate, but Hal Jordan interrupts them, and Duke Nigel says there is enough energy in the world grid-iron for another shot at the crack in the sky.

Using data from Hal Jordan, Duke Nigel uses his transdimensional ray in a new location. Hal uses his power ring to open the rift even wider than before, encircling the entire planet, bringing the whole world through the rift just as his power ring runs out of juice. Steam Lantern saves the falling, depowered Hal Jordan in the atmosphere. The story ends over tea, as Duke Nigel patches in Kilowog's signal to Hal Jordan.